NOKturne Juice Bar

Juice Bar Houston

We’d like to introduce NOKturne Juice Bar, a local juice bar in Houston that provides eclectic eats and drinks that soothe and treat common illness. Each menu item is locally sourced and seasonal, which guarantees the quality and nourishment included with each dish.  NOKturne’s mission is to promote a natural lifestyle that allows people to live a healthier and longer life. To learn more about this amazing business and their mission, check out our recent interview with the company’s Executive Chef, Daniel Quezada.

Daniel, what is your background?

When I was 18 I took a backpacking trip to Europe for about a year. I worked in several bars and restaurants but what struck me was molecular gastronomy at “El Bulli” by Chef Adria Ferra. After that experience, I decided to dedicate myself to basic ailments, foods, nutrients, and business. I eventually went through a 3-month mixology course at the University of Frankfurt. Furthermore, I obtained a AA in Business Administration and AS in Physics in a community college in Houston, TX. Then I received a BS in Economics from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China. Finally, I obtained a culinary degree from the Culinary Arts Institute in Shanghai, China.

I speak English and Spanish fluently, although my Portuguese and Chinese aren’t so great despite my experiences, yet I’m still working on it.

I worked as a General Manager for a traditional Szechuan restaurant in the Houston area for 7 years before opening my place.

Also, I travel every 5 months to a different place around the globe for a whole month. I live with locals and learn their cooking and harvesting techniques. Essentially, this is how we update our menu every six months with new dishes and approaches.

Why should a customer choose NOKturne as opposed to another restaurant?

About 70% of our local produce is obtained from local gardens and farmers. Supporting our local growers is one of our most important missions. We always have a new dish from a specific region around the world that no other restaurant sells, or has tried to sell. So in other words, we’re the place to try new, rare, and exciting things. Ranging from insects to exotic fungi.

What was it that made you want to start NOKturne?

Honestly, I was tired of serving unhealthy food to guests. Even though the Szechuan restaurant I worked at was excellent in terms of quality and service, I felt that we needed something better and wholesome. The original Idea with my wife Shannel was to start a bar with international appetizers and snacks – we were tired of bars and pubs only serving microwavable foods and frozen items. We wanted a place with natural ingredients, good quality, and excellent craft drinks. 

We developed a juice menu focused to help, relieve, and even revert common illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, insomnia, cardiovascular, etc. And one day, one of our regular guests mentioned to us that he’s been juicing for a while already and that he had prostate cancer and knew that natural juices help relieve and even treat his type of cancer. He assigned us to help him with that. Long story short – 6 months after his analysis came back with shrinkage and almost disappearance of his prostate tumor is when we decided to not serve alcohol and focus only on foods that treat diseases. So basically we became a pharmaceutical restaurant, first of its kind I believe; or at least in Texas.

What are some advantages that come with owning your business?

Freedom to do and undo as you see convenient. A market is a tricky place but with the right education and perseverance, a lot can be achieved. And honestly, my employees have become my family. I’m an immigrant from Mexico and I have learned to like this nation but its best asset is its people. My employees are my priority and for me to be able to take care of them, and have them be part of my venture is just priceless.

Where do you see your business growing in the following years?

 We would like to expand our operations to more areas in Houston. In 5 years we would like to be in another state as well. And in 10 years… it’s a bit uncertain but I see myself collaborating with my employees to help them achieve their dreams. We’re currently working on making space food. We sent basil seeds to the International Space Station on the CTS-100 2 mission, kind of altered a bit to grow in microgravity, we will get our SkyLab results at the beginning of 2021. If those seeds grew, we can be in-route to obtain a contract for the Artemis mission (2024) to supply prepacked aliments; to be delivered just like they deliver food to airlines but in space! So yes, 10 years from now seems far and uncertain but exciting.

What is your mission statement?

We want a world free of eradicable diseases. A world where famine is non-existent. A world where our kids can grow safe and sane.

What are the biggest issues for running this business?

I believe that everything is a challenge but it depends on how we approach it. I hate doing paperwork, fiscal reports, computer work, etc. But it’s part of my job and I happily do it. Other than that, I think keeping a constant quality and a good safe working environment it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

How is your team structured?

We have employees who have been here almost since the beginning. We don’t have a manager, everyone is essential and fully responsible for their line of work. So we don’t have a guy in a suit following you around telling you what to do. It’s a type of managing time and efficiency like Google, Facebook or other big companies manage their employees. It makes it easier for me and a lot more relaxed for them.

Where can people learn more about your business?

Possibly our website “nokturne.world“, yet I think they have to visit, check out our menu and understand what food does to our bodies.